Erosion-meter.



PATENTED-AUG. 21, 1906.

H. MAXIM.

EBII

EROSION MET APPLIOATIOi-T FILED MA I V INVENTORD BY /;/a& m Mbl AT ORNEYS WlThilSSES: v M w UNITED STATES P TENT OFFIOE.

HUDSON MAXIM, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNO TO THE E. 1. DU PONT DE NEMOURS POWDER COMPANY, F- WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OE W JERSEY. V

EROSION-METER.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 21, 1906.

Application filed May 24, 1604. Mm. 209,543.

To all whom it may concern:

-Be it known that I, HUDsoN MAXIM, a citi-' zen of the United States, residin at Brooklyn, city of New York and State 0 New York, have invented a new and useful Im rovement in Erosion-Meters, of which the ollowing is a'full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyin drawings, which form a part of this speci cation.

The present invention relates to improvements in eros1on-meters-that is to say, in apparatus or devices for testing or determining the relative erosive character of the prod-.

I accomplish this object by 1providing a removable eroding-surface whic I place in the powder chamber of the gun, so that in firing the gun the gases impinge thereon and the extent of the erosion produced may be readily measured. This erosion-surface may be the walls of an orifice or the gases may impinge directly against a surface. I

I preferably carry out my invention as follows: A strong hollow steel cylinder is provided of suflicient strength to withstand the .maximum chamber-pressure in the gun, said hollow cylinder having a removable disk with a small central perforation through which the gases enter the interior of the cylinder and held securely in place closing the mouth of the cylinder. The disk is preferably held in place by a screw-cap with a gasket, preferably of copper, interposed between the disk and the end or peripheral edge of the cylinder, so that the unbalanced pressure on the exterior of the disk will hold it firmly in place upon the gasket, forming a gas-tightjoint between the disk and the peripheral edge of the cylinder. The hollow closed cylinder having the small erosion-perforation is adapted to occupy a more or less small portion of the powder-chamber of the gun. When the gun inder through the small perforation will erode or cut away the walls of said perforation, and by cali ering or measuring this opening after firing .t e gunits enlargement or the amount of erosive action Of the gases is determined.

When firing a gunpowder charge consistfiring a charge of cordite or smokeless powder rich in or containing a large percentage of nitroglycerin or other oxidizing agent or inedient capable of evolving great heat durmg combustion.

is fired, the heated gases rushing into the cyl I '65 ing of pure nitrocellulose smokeless powder, there is much less erosive action than when' Furthermore, when a sufficient charge is used of a given powder to roduce-a very high chamber-pressure-say om forty thousand or forty-five thousand to fifty thousand pounds to the s uare inch there is greater erosive action t an when a chamber-pressure of from thirty thousand to thirty-five thousand pounds to the square inch is employed. The present invention therefore serves both to determine the T618: tive erosive qualities of the gases of different powders under like pressures and of the same gunpowder burned under different pressures. In addition to and as a substitute for the central perforation of the disk, I may and sometimes provide an impact-surface against which the gases passing through the perforation are allowed to impinge, and by the character and size of the pit formed in the exposed impact-surface the relative erosive character of the gases is also determined in addition to the means already described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, are longitudinal sections illustrating different forms of the improvement.

The erosion-testing device consists, essentially, of a strong hollow closed steel cylinder 10, having through one of its walls a relatively small perforation 9 for the passage of the gases to the interior of the cylinder. In the preferred construction of the testing device the erosion-perforation 9 is provided in a removable disk 11 and located centrally therein, closing one end of the cylinder. As a means for confining the disk in place an open screw-threaded cap 12 is provided screwed onto the end of the cylinder, and to make the joint between the disk and the pecentrall -arranged rod 14, assing t Because of the necessary thickness of the disk and to make the erosion-perforation as short.

as is desirable the front or back of the disk has 'a wide countersunk opening 7 communicating with the perforation.

' In. Fig. 2 the hollow cylinder s'llfirpol'ti a oug a relative y large central pe oration 19 in the disk, so as to form withthe end of the rod a .te'rmming the character of the to receive the im act of the gases rushing throu h said pe oration, so as to become pitte thereby and serve as a means of deases. In

' Fig. 3 the impact-surface is provide by a thin metallic disk 4, removabl seated in the face .of the impact-surface, the atter bein formed by an open disk or spider l5, confine in place against the gasket by a spacing-ring 16 of proper height between the centrally-perforated disk and the impact-spider. In Fig. 4

' the impact-surface is provided by a spider 17,

screw-threaded onto the end of a central supporting-rod 18.

The im rovements, it will be understood, are capab e of partaking different forms, and hence are not necessarily limited to those shown.

Havin now fully described my invention, what I c aim, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

1. An erosion-meter for guns, com risin a removable metallic piece, adapted to ie placed within the powderchamber and against one surface of which the gases in firing impinge.

2. An erosion-meter for guns comprising a removable orificed plate adapted to be placed within the powder-chamber the orifice being in the path of the gases in firing.

3. An erosion-meter for guns comprising a removable metallic piece and an orificed plate, the orifice and one surface of the metallic piece being in the path of the gases in firing.

4. An erosion-meter for guns com rising a chamber, one wall of which is provi ed with a perforation and adapted through said erforation for communication with the pew erichamber of a gun.

. 5. erosion-meter for guns comprising a chamber, one wall of which is removable and provided with a perforation and adapted throu h said erforation for. communication with t e pow er-chamber of a gun. 6. A11 erosion-meter for comprising a strong hollow closed cylin er, having a small I perforation through one of its walls and chamber of a gun, saidperforated wall being removable.

8. An erosion-meter for guns comprising a stron hollow closed 0 linder, having a remova le centrallyerfbrated disk formin one of the walls of t e cylinder, and adapte to occupy a place in the powder-chamber of a 9. An erosion-meter for guns comprising a stron hollow closed 0 linder, having a remova le centrall -pe orated disk f0 one wall of the cy 'nder, and secured in place b a screw-cap, and adapted to occupy a p ace in the powder-chamber of a gun.

10. An erosion-meter for guns comprisin a strong hollow closed cylinder having a smafi perforation through one of its walls and an impact-surface supported within the cylinder opposite the perforation, and adapted to occupy a place in the powder-chamber of a 11. An erosion-meter for guns comprisin a strong hollow closed cylinder having a sin perforation through one of the walls and a removable impact-surface supported within the cylinder opposite the perforation, and adapted to occupy a place in the powderchamber of a gun.

12. An erosion-meter for guns, comprising a metallic piece ada ted to be placed in communication with t e powder-chamber and against one surface of which the gases in firing impinge.

13. An erosion meter for guns comprising an orificed plate adapted to be placedin communication with the powder-chamber and through which the gases in firing pass.

14. An erosion-meter'for. guns, comprising a metallic piece and orificed plate adapted to be placed in communication with the powderchamber, the orifice and one surface of the metallic piece being in the path of the gases in firing.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand, at Dover, New Jersey, on this 19th day of May, 1904.

HUDSONMAXIM.

Witnesses: 4 Y 1 WILLIAM S. Wnrrn, .EDWARD D. NEIGIIBOUR. 

